News

Ontario Providing More Transit Funding for Northumberland-Quinte West

Enhanced Gas Tax Program Will Support More Travel Options, Improve Local Transit

Ontario is boosting support for municipalities in Northumberland-Quinte West, providing them with reliable, long-term funding to improve and expand local transit and offer more travel options for commuters and families.

Starting in 2019, Ontario will increase funding to the City of Quinte West and Municipality of Brighton, the Town of Cobourg, the Municipality of Port Hope, the Townships of Cramahe – Alnwick/Haldimand – Hamilton, the Municipality of Trent Hills and other municipal transit systems across the province through an enhancement to the existing gas tax program, doubling the municipal share from two cents per litre to four cents by 2021. There will be no increase in the tax that people in Ontario pay on gasoline as a result of the enhancement to the program.

Municipality2016/20172021/2022

Town of Cobourg $188,000 $377,000

Township of Cramahe

(Including Alnwick/Haldimand and Hamilton Township) $ 54,000 $109,000

Municipality of Port Hope $154,000 $308,000

City of Quinte West (and Brighton) $472,000 $944,000

Municipality of Trent H $108,000 $217,000

Dollar amounts are estimates based on current gas tax allocation and doubling from two to four cents

Municipalities in Northumberland-Quinte West are able to use gas tax funding to make major infrastructure upgrades, buy additional transit vehicles, add more routes, extend hours of service, implement fare strategies and improve accessibility.

Supporting stronger public transit systems is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

QUOTES

“This is great news for commuters and families in Northumberland-Quinte West. Increasing gas tax funding will help improve service, get more people on public transit and tackle congestion.”

- Lou Rinaldi, MPP for Northumberland-Quinte West

“We’ve heard loud and clear from municipalities that they need more sustainable funding for public transit to keep up with the demand to provide more service. By modernizing Ontario’s gas tax program we are helping municipalities improve their local transit service so people can easily get where they need to be.”

- Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation

“Thanks to the provincial gas tax program, ridership continues to grow as Quinte West residents directly benefit from continued investment in public transit.”

- Jim Harrison, Mayor of Quinte West

"This increase to the ‎Gas Tax Funding will continue to improve public transit for the residents of Brighton.

We recognize the regional benefit that sustainable Provincial ‎funding provides to all residents of Northumberland County".

- Mark Walas, Mayor, Municipality of Brighton/Warden, County of Northumberland

QUICK FACTS

Funding will increase to 2.5 cents per litre in 2019–20, 3 cents in 2020–21 and 4 cents in 2021–22.

This year the province committed $334.5 million in gas tax funding to 99 municipalities. This amount is expected to increase to about $401.3 million in 2019–20, $481.5 million in 2020–21, $642 million in 2021–22.

Ontario made gas tax program funding permanent in 2013 to provide a stable source for municipal transit investments.

One bus takes up to 40 vehicles off the road, and keeps 25 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere each year.

Research shows that every $100 million of public infrastructure investment in Ontario boosts GDP by $114 million, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors.